Selective 5HT6 antagonist AVN-211 (CD-008-0173) added antipsychotic and some procognitive (attention) effects to antipsychotic medication.

It was a negative study with unexpected benefits of the drug only in females. We hypothesized that the role of patients' sex can impact the treatment response to serotonergic drugs in general. We suggest a possible synergistic interaction between estrogen and Avisetron by means of modulating the effect of estrogens on the serotonergic system. Future studies targeting the sex-related effects of serotonergic drugs are warranted.

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Introduction. Patients with somatic disorders often have sings of concomitant mental distress such as depressive mood, anxiety, apathy, asthenia, which can have a negative impact on the course of the underlying disease and recovery processes. One of the non-medicinal approaches that have been increasingly introduced into medical practice in recent years is the use of techniques based on virtual reality.The paper presents the results of an open comparative study of the effectiveness of a new scenario of virtual reality platform named Flow. Flow was developed as an innovative tool to reduce the severity of negative psychological states.The aim of the study. To evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual reality application Flow in relation to symptoms of anxiety and asthenia in somatic inpatients.Material and methods. 60 hospitalized patients with different diagnoses and comorbid complaints of mental disadaptation were included. 40 patients underwent a course of five daily relaxation sessions in virtual reality in addition to their basic treatment. 20 patients of the control group were treated in accordance with the hospital routine practice. Psychometric scales and questionnaires were used to assess patients condition; indicators of blood pressure and pulse were also measured.Results. The addition of Flow to the course of standard treatment was associated with a significant advantage in reducing affective complaints in patients, both after one session and as a result of the course, and a few days after its completion. Patients of the experimental group also demonstrated a significant decrease in blood pressure after the sessions, and it was most pronounced in individuals with initially high blood pressure. Conclusion. The course of relaxation in virtual reality Flow is an effective and promising method of non-pharmacological care for patients of a somatic hospital in relation to symptoms of anxiety and depressive mood, as well as of hypertension.

Introduction Psychological distress is a phenomenon that often occurs not only in patients but in normal subjects under excessive psychological pressure. Health care workers are at particular risk of distress in a pandemic. It negatively affects the quality of life, social and physical functioning and can be a trigger of different diseases. The pharmaceutical drugs can be unnecessary active for healthy subjects. Nutraceuticals may be the adequate choice in this situation. Objectives Assessing the effectiveness of the unique antistress combination of the three herbal ingredients (standardized extracts of passionfruit, melissa and catnip) in medical workers with the signs of psychological distress Methods Twenty-four subjects-medical doctors from 30 to 55 years old (15 women; 9 men) were included into the one-week study. Antistress combination was administered 1 tablet tid. The first part of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI “State anxiety”) andor a free self-report were done twice (before and at the end of the study) Results From 24 subjects 19 subjects filled out the STAI, free self-reports were received from 10 subjects (5 people provided information about their condition in two forms). STAI scores showed statistically significant decrease in anxiety at the end of the study. A positive effect the emotional condition and quality of sleep was noted in free self-reports. Adverse effects of nutraceuticals were rare, mild, and transient. No negative impact on quality of working condition was registered. Conclusions The pilot study showed the promising effect of antistress combination in medical workers in specific stressful situation. Disclosure No significant relationships.